guerdon

• gerdon (obsolete)

From Middle English guerdon, guerdoun, gardone, from Old French guerdon, guerredon, guarredon, werdon, from Medieval Latin widerdōnum, alteration of widerlōnum, from West Germanic (whence Old High German widarlōn, Old English wiþerlēan), literally ‘back-payment’, with the second element assimilated to Latin dōnum (“gift”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɡəː.dən/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɝ.dən/

• Audio (US)

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• Hyphenation: guer‧don

guerdon (plural guerdons)

1. (now literary) A reward, prize or recompense for a service; an accolade.
   • 1567 Arthur Golding: Ovid's Metamorphoses Bk. 2 lines 361-3

     Is this the guerdon wherewithall ye quite my fruitfulnesse?

     Is this the honor that ye gave for my plenteousnesse

     And dutie done with true intent?

   • 1819, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe

     "That will I do blithely," replied the Pilgrim, "and without guerdon; my oath, for a time, prohibits me from touching gold."

   • 1826 April 22, “G.”, “The Dukedom (from ‘The News of Literature and Fashion, Science and Art.’)”, in The Spirit of the Times; or, Essence of the Periodicals; Concentrating Every Week, All that is Worthy (as Strictly Regarding the Time) of Being Preserved, from the Whole of Our Newspapers, Magazines, &c., volume I, number XXIX, London: Printed by Milne, Banfield, and Duckworth [...] for J. Scott, OCLC 68226152, page 436, column 1:

     I had some faint recollection of having a penny-piece in my waistcoat pocket, and, pleased with the service he had rendered to us, I gave it him as his guerdon. "Thank ye, sir—thank ye, sir—thank ye, sir," he cried, and immediately returned to his station near the footway.

   • 1936, Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind, ch.15

     Melanie might have given him his new coat but this sash was her gift, her own secret guerdon for him to wear into battle, something that would make him remember her every time he looked at it.

guerdon (third-person singular simple present guerdons, present participle guerdoning, simple past and past participle guerdoned)

1. (transitive) To give such a reward to.

• go under, grounde, undergo, ungored

guerdon m (oblique plural guerdons, nominative singular guerdons, nominative plural guerdon)

1. Alternative form of guerredon